How to sell to CTOs at Agencies companies in United States
CTOs at marketing agencies are primarily measured on project delivery timelines and system uptime. They respond to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of their technology stack and how it can be optimized to improve team efficiency. Highlighting solutions that streamline collaboration between creative and technical teams resonates with their daily challenges.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 558 agencies company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- project delivery delays
- team collaboration issues
- system downtime complaints
- tech stack optimization struggles
The playbook
- 01
Identify agencies with recent tech upgrades
Use tools like BuiltWith or SimilarWeb to find agencies that recently adopted new technology. Focus on those that have integrated project management or collaboration tools. These upgrades indicate a willingness to invest in tech solutions, making them more receptive to discussions about further enhancements.
- 02
Research pain points from recent projects
Look for case studies or news articles about the agency's recent projects. Identify any technology-related challenges they faced, such as delays in project delivery or issues with team collaboration. Tailor your outreach to address these specific issues, demonstrating your understanding of their operational hurdles.
- 03
Connect via industry-specific platforms
Engage with CTOs through platforms like TechCrunch or Adweek, where agency technology topics are discussed. Comment on articles or share insights relevant to their recent challenges. This establishes familiarity and positions you as a knowledgeable resource before direct outreach.
- 04
Email with a specific solution to a known issue
Craft an email that directly addresses a pain point you've identified. For instance, suggest a tool that enhances collaboration for remote teams, referencing a recent agency project that struggled with this. Be concise and clear about how your solution directly benefits their workflow.
- 05
Follow up with a relevant industry insight
If you don't receive a response, follow up with an article or report that relates to the challenges faced by marketing agencies in tech adoption. This shows ongoing value and positions you as a thought leader. Aim to send this within a week of your initial outreach.
Can agencies companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 558 agencies companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 16.8% of 1–10-person companies against 55.4% of the largest — 39 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Streamlining agency workflows
- Improving project delivery speed
- Tech solutions for creative teams
Questions
- Why do CTOs at agencies ignore outreach about new software?
- CTOs often receive numerous unsolicited messages that fail to address specific challenges they face. If outreach doesn't demonstrate a clear understanding of their unique operational needs or provide a solution to a current pain point, it is likely to be overlooked.
- What types of solutions are most appealing to agency CTOs?
- Solutions that enhance collaboration, improve project management, or optimize existing technology stacks are particularly appealing. CTOs appreciate tools that can integrate seamlessly with their current systems and provide measurable improvements in efficiency and productivity.
- How can I demonstrate value to a CTO in an email?
- To demonstrate value, reference specific challenges the agency is facing and propose tailored solutions. Providing insights into industry trends or sharing relevant case studies can also establish credibility and show that you understand their environment.
- What common objections do CTOs have regarding new technology?
- CTOs often express concerns about integration challenges, potential downtime during implementation, and the cost of new solutions. Addressing these objections upfront in your outreach can help build trust and facilitate a more open dialogue.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
Try it on your site